God’s Word Translation
Psalms 140:3
3They make their tongues as sharp as a snake’s ⌞fang⌟. Their lips hide the venom of poisonous snakes. Selah
Psalms 140:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.
- New International Version (NIV)They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips.
- English Standard Version (ESV)They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah
- New King James Version (NKJV)They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah
Context of Psalms 140:3
1Rescue me from evil people, O Lord. Keep me safe from violent people. 2They plan evil things in their hearts. They start fights every day. They make their tongues as sharp as a snake’s ⌞fang⌟. Their lips hide the venom of poisonous snakes. Selah 4Protect me from the hands of wicked people, O Lord. Keep me safe from violent people. They try to trip me. 5Arrogant people have laid a trap for me. They have spread out a net with ropes. They have set traps for me along the road. Selah
Read all of Psalms 140Psalms 140:3 word by word
שָֽׁנֲנ֣וּ לְשׁוֹנָם֮ כְּֽמוֹ־נָ֫חָ֥שׁ חֲמַ֥ת עַכְשׁ֑וּב תַּ֖חַת שְׂפָתֵ֣ימוֹ סֶֽלָה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 140:3
- Psalms 52:2Your tongue makes up threats. It’s like a sharp razor, you master of deceit.
- Psalms 57:4My soul is surrounded by lions. I must lie down with man-eating lions. Their teeth are spears and arrows. Their tongues are sharp swords.
- Psalms 59:7See what pours out of their mouths— swords from their lips! ⌞They think,⌟ “Who will hear us?”
- Psalms 64:3They sharpen their tongues like swords. They aim bitter words like arrows
- Proverbs 12:18Careless words stab like a sword, but the words of wise people bring healing.
- Isaiah 59:3Your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers are stained with sin. You speak lies, and you mutter wicked things.
- Jeremiah 9:3They use their tongues like bows that shoot arrows. Lies and dishonesty rule the land. They go from one evil thing to another, and they don’t know me,” declares the Lord.
- James 3:6The tongue is that kind of flame. It is a world of evil among the parts of our bodies, and it completely contaminates our bodies. The tongue sets our lives on fire, and is itself set on fire from hell.
- Genesis 3:13Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The snake deceived me, and I ate,” the woman answered.
- Proverbs 23:32Later it bites like a snake and strikes like a poisonous snake.
- Matthew 12:34You poisonous snakes! How can you evil people say anything good? Your mouth says what comes from inside you.
- 2 Corinthians 11:3However, I’m afraid that as the snake deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
- Psalms 58:4They have poisonous venom like snakes. They are like a deaf cobra that shuts its ears
- Romans 3:13Their throats are open graves. Their tongues practice deception. Their lips hide the venom of poisonous snakes.
Commentaries on Psalms 140:3
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent - Compare the notes at Psalm 64:3. The idea here is, that since the tongue of the serpent “seems” to be sharp, pointed, adapted to penetrate (and probably the original reference in the image was derived from that idea), the wound inflicted is by the serpent‘s tongue - “as if” with a hard, penetrating point. It is now known, however, that it is by a tooth - a single tooth, made flexible for the purpose - at…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3snakes … vipers: These creatures portray the wicked as very corrupt people (see Proverbs 23:32; Isaiah 14:29; Romans 3:13).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-52-5. This character of the wicked, and the devices planned against the pious, correspond to Psa 10:7; 31:13; 58:4, &c.Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 3every day they gather to wage war There will be wars in their dwellings and in their settlements.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 140:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 140
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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